What Korean Travelers Always Buy at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart in Taipei
What Korean travelers buy at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart in Taipei generally falls into four categories: SIM cards and eSIMs for getting data the moment you land, EasyCard (悠遊卡) and iCash2.0 transit cards that handle both public transit and payments with a single card, alcohol, which you can buy with no time restrictions even late at night, and local exclusive snacks cooked and sold fresh in store. Of these, alcohol and cigarettes are subject to duty-free limits when entering Korea, so check the limits before you load up your basket at the convenience store.
7-Eleven's "Overseas SIM Super Quick Pickup": SIM and eSIM Pickup in 3 Minutes
Since March 2026, Taiwan's 7-Eleven (Uni-President) has partnered with travel platforms including Trip.com, FunNow, Tripora, bunnylink, and Cool Travel Card (酷遊卡) to run an "overseas SIM super quick pickup" service. You pay for a SIM card or eSIM on an online platform first, then pick it up immediately at any of the roughly 7,200 7-Eleven stores nationwide.
- Process: place your order online, then enter the order number at an in-store ibon kiosk to print a pickup receipt, then have the barcode scanned at the register to activate it
- No ID is required, just the order number, and there's no separate fee
- You don't need to designate a specific branch in advance; you can pick it up at any 7-Eleven, regardless of store
- Pickup takes as little as 3 minutes, so there's no need to queue at an airport SIM counter or wait for mail delivery
The reason Korean travelers use this service is straightforward. If you forgot to get a SIM before leaving, your phone is too old for eSIM, or you need a maps or translation app the moment you land, walking into any 7-Eleven in the city solves the problem.
EasyCard vs. iCash2.0: Different Convenience Stores Push Different Transit Cards
7-Eleven and FamilyMart each push a different transit card. Which one you buy affects both where you can use it and what the card itself costs.
| Card | Main sales points | Card price | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| EasyCard (悠遊卡) | The four major convenience store chains, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, OK Mart, and Hi-Life, plus MRT station counters | NT$100 for the standard card (top-up amount separate) | Usable for public transit nationwide in Taiwan and for payment at all four major convenience store chains |
| iCash2.0 | Issued exclusively by FamilyMart; collaboration-design cards also sold through online channels such as Books.com.tw, Cosmed, and momo | Varies by design (for example, a collaboration card launched in February 2026 costs NT$499) | Strong for FamilyMart points accumulation; cannot be used for Taiwan High Speed Rail payments |
Korean travelers buy these cards for two reasons. One card can cover MRT, bus, and convenience store payments all at once, and the character collaboration designs double as souvenirs. If you'll mostly get around by MRT and bus, the EasyCard, usable at all four major convenience store chains, is the better choice; if you'll be visiting FamilyMart often, iCash2.0 has the edge.
Alcohol: Taiwan Sells It With No Time Restrictions, But Korea Has an Entry Limit
Taiwan's 7-Eleven and FamilyMart stores operate 24 hours, and you can buy Taiwan Beer (台灣啤酒) or canned highballs even late at night with no separate time restriction. That's why so many travelers pick up a drink at the convenience store next to a night market and drink it on the spot.
The issue comes when you return to Korea. Under Korea Customs Service rules, the duty-free allowance for travelers' personal belongings is as follows.
- Alcohol: duty-free when the combined volume is 2 liters or less and the total price is US$400 or less
- Cigarettes: 200 cigarettes, or for e-cigarettes, 20ml of nicotine liquid (nicotine content under 1%)
- Perfume: duty-free with no limit on quantity for containers of 100ml or less
- Minors under 19 are excluded from the duty-free allowance for alcohol and cigarettes
One or two cans of beer or a mini bottle of whiskey from a Taiwanese convenience store will mostly fall within this limit. Buying a gift set or several bottles of pricier whiskey can easily push you over. It's safer to check the total on your receipt and the combined volume before you check out.
Local Exclusive Snacks: Meant to Be Eaten on the Spot, Not Carried Home
Tea eggs (eggs boiled in tea-steeped water), fruit milks such as papaya milk and watermelon milk, and sweet potatoes or potatoes grilled right at the counter are items sold freshly prepared only at Taiwanese convenience stores. You buy these to eat locally, not to take home. Both 7-Eleven and FamilyMart run hot food corners at their branches, and along with bento boxes and oden (關東煮), turnover is fast, so the taste and stock vary slightly from store to store.
The reason Korean travelers seek out this corner is simple. You can get a warm, affordable meal's worth of food at a convenience store on the way back to your accommodation without having to find a separate restaurant.
Source: 7-ELEVEN Launches "Super Quick Pickup" SIM Card Service to Support the Outbound Travel Boom (CNA)
Source: EasyCard Corporation, official guide to the standard card
Source: icash Corp., official guide to the "Mingxing 3 Que 1" icash2.0 card
Source: Korea Customs Service, customs clearance for travelers' personal belongings